European Medals from 1513 to 1788
Netherlands, The Dutch Republic. Plaquettepenning (Silver, 73mm, 70.26 g 12), on the death of Admiral Maarten Tromp (1597-1653), by Wouter Muller, 1653. Myn hert en handt was voor het landt (= my heart and hand were for my country ) Three-quarter bust of Tromp turned slightly to the right, wearing badge of the Order of St. Michael; above, two putti with trumpets; around, two laurel branches and a wreath formed of military accouterments. Rev. Waarom doet muller Tromp door kunst van goudt en silver leeven: om dat hy d’yser eew door krygsdeugd heeft verdreven den 10 aug 1653 (= Why does the art of Muller make Tromp live in gold and silver? Because he chased out the age of iron by military honor of 10 August 1653 ) Naval battle with ship sinking in the foreground. M.I. I, 404, no 35 and pl. XXXVI, 6. TMNK 00594-00595. Van Loon II, p. 364, 3. An attractive and impressive medal in high relief. Bright, with fields typically polished long ago, and with a graffito 129591 scratched into the reverse field, otherwise , extremely fine. Maarten Tromp was one of Holland’s greatest naval heroes. His father was a sea captain who was killed by pirates when Maarten was 12. The young boy was on board and attempted to convince the crew to keep fighting: in the end he was captured by the pirates and sold into slavery. He was freed two years later and returned to the sea, only to be captured again by the Barbary pirates. He was released again in 1622 and joined the Dutch navy, rising through the ranks until he became commander of the Dutch fleet. He was killed by a musket shot in 1653, during the Anglo-Dutch War of 1652-1653. The medal is by Wouter Muller, who was one of the Dutch masters of the curious cast technique used to make this medal - a mode of manufacture that resulted in some of the finest Dutch medals of the 17th century.